Unawareness of "illnesses": a case of right-sided hemiballism.
The Authors describe a non-demented patient who, after a left subthalamic haemorrhage causing hemiballism, was completely unaware of both neurological (i.e., dyskinesias) and non-neurological (i.e., cough) symptoms occurring after the stroke. In contrast, he was perfectly able to acknowledge pathological conditions affecting him before the brain damage. Neuropsychological assessment showed no cognitive defects, but revealed the presence of frontal behaviours (e.g., perseverations and utilization behaviours). This unusual clinical picture was ascribed to damage of frontal-subcortical circuits involved in conscious representation of current bodily states.
Conson
M
M
Neuropsychology Laboratory Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, Caserta, Italy. massimiliano.conson@unina2.it
Ranieri
F
F
de Falco
A
A
Grossi
D
D
de Falco
F A
FA
D000368:Aged; D020820:Dyskinesias / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000150:complications; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D020530:Subthalamus / Q000473:pathology